


32 Leery Street

by honeybee_pioneer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Fluff (I think?), Kids, Nightmares, Nosy Neighbors, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, neighborhood AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 18:30:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11190873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybee_pioneer/pseuds/honeybee_pioneer
Summary: Grafton rarely saw newcomers. As a small town in Vermont with a population of less than seven-hundred people, it had been years since anyone new had really come into the area. So when a previously unoccupied house of 32 Leery Street had its lights turned on one evening in the beginning of June, of course people became curious.





	32 Leery Street

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Uliro Discord group after making this au last night (Hope I did it some sort of justice)
> 
> This is planned to be two chapters, but I might add more at some point.

Grafton rarely saw newcomers. As a small town in Vermont with a population of less than seven-hundred people, it had been years since anyone new had really come into the area. So when a previously unoccupied house of 32 Leery Street had its lights turned on one evening in the beginning of June, of course people became curious. 

The newcomer had apparently moved in overnight earlier in the week, the shutters of the windows now open, curtains tied back, the front porch with rocking chairs and small wicker side tables. The gate connected to the fence was open, a warm early summer breeze blowing through the slightly overgrown grass. When the families of Leery Street were only just beginning to get up, a man was already sitting on the top of the front steps. 

Mrs. O’Brian of 30 Leery Street left her home, glancing for a moment at her new neighbor on her way to Mrs. Yates house for Saturday morning coffee. She greeted her friend as the front door opened, Mrs. Yates motioning for her to come in and sit in the kitchen. The windows were open wide, the beginning of an early summer heat wave hanging in the air. 

“Thank goodness the children are already done with school for the summer! Surely I would never be hearing the end of it from Ben and George!” Mrs. Yates sighed, sipping her cup. 

Mrs. O’Brian nodded, before playing with the handle of her mug. “Kathy, don’t dance around. Surely you’ve noticed the recent activity at thirty-two?” 

Mrs. Yates blushed, looking away. “Now, Nathalie, you know I’m no gossip-” 

“Kathy, you have the biggest mouth in Grafton. What time did he come in?” 

Mrs. Yates sighed. “Around eleven-thirty last Monday. A rather odd time to move in, but he barely made a sound! Must be a very strong fellow…”

The new neighbor was the talk of the street. He was young, but his hair was totally white in the front with greying strands all over, making it hard to guess his age. He wore a blanket around his shoulders, which others found odd, since it was beginning to grow hotter as summer rolled in. He had bags under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in many years. He seemingly looked at nothing, staring only into the distance, as if a part of him wasn’t there. 

He was out on his front step each morning before anyone else was awake, and only turned in for the night once it was dark. He sat in front of his house all day, as if he were waiting for something and for nothing all at once. He would flinch occasionally, only to wrap the blanket tighter around his shoulders. 

Mrs. Yates leaned in, as if divulging some sort of secret. “Have you heard what others are saying too? Have you heard the screaming at night?” 

Mrs. O’Brian nodded, glancing out the window. “Nearly scared me to death the first full night. Robert Iliono hears it just as clearly as I do, living across the street from him. He screams for at least ten minutes every time, between one and four in the morning. At first I thought that it was the coyotes, but no animal could sound as terrified as he does.”

Mrs. Yates hummed, fingers tapping lightly on the side of her mug. “I’ve told the children to stay away from there. Lord knows what goes on there.” 

“Probably best for now,” Mrs. O’Brian nodded. “No need to have them poking their noses about. Let’s leave that to the adults.” 

The two women shared a laugh. Finishing their drinks, Mrs. O’Brian departed, sparing another glance at her neighbor before returning home.

Sooner rather than later, however, the children began to enquire about their strange new neighbor. They were curious, a collective harmless curiosity that begged to be sated. 

“Mama,” Ben asked Mrs. Yates, “Who is that man at the end of the road?” 

“That is our neighbor. We don’t know much about him, but I expect you to behave and not to pry,” Mrs. Yates said, feeling only slightly hypocritical. 

“Father,” Julie asked Mr. Politsky. “Why does that man at the end of the road sit there all day?” 

“I don’t know, dear.” Mr. Politsky would respond, “But don’t ask him why. I’m sure he has his reasons.” 

“Mother, why is it that no one has gone to greet our new neighbor?” John asked Mrs. Tanner. 

“Because, John, we assumed he would want to be left alone.” 

John frowned.  _ ‘That seems awfully lonely…’  _

Two weeks after the new man arrived on the street, the neighborhood children gathered together on the green. Kyle and Penny, the two oldest children at the age of thirteen, had the others sit in a circle. 

“Our goal is to make our new neighbor feel welcome,” Penny said, clapping her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “He seems so awfully sad all the time. Maybe we can make him feel happy that we’re happy he’s here!” 

“Everyone should think of something we could do to make him feel welcome.” Kyle continued, arms crossed over his chest. “Do your best, everyone! We meet back here at four o’clock.”

All the children rushed home, thinking about what they could do. Most of the younger kids made welcome cards, digging out their colored pencils and crayons, writing in sloppy letters as neatly as they could. Some made little maps of which family lived in what house, so their neighbor would know which house was whose. A group of the older children made a ready-to-bake casserole, covering it up with a lid. 

As the kids prepared to meet back on the green, their parents stopped them at their doors. 

“Ben, what are you doing?” Mrs. Yates asked, hands on her hips. She found her son carrying a small plate of baked goods. “You know those are for the bake sale tomorrow after church.”

Ben looked up and smiled. “We’re going to meet the new neighbor! He seems sad, so all of us kids went home and we’re to get back together to go see him!” 

Mrs. Yates bit her lip. “You know I don’t want you going over there-”

“But Mama, aren’t we supposed to welcome everyone? Reverend said so last Sunday. Wouldn’t it be bad not to welcome our new neighbor?” Ben asked, head tilted to the side slightly.

Mrs. Yates sighed. “Oh, alright. But I’m coming with you. I don’t want you going all by yourself.” 

She went with her son to the green to find the other children with their parents. The adults seemed to share a collective look, and she knew their own children had made similar arguments as to why they were going over to the new neighbors home. 

The adults waited outside the gate, leaning against the fence as the kids slowly moved closer to the house. Reaching the front steps, their neighbor shifted his gaze, as if he only just realized that the children were there. He shifted his blanket slightly, seeming to check that his right side was covered completely. 

Penny stepped forward first, holding out the casserole dish. “Welcome to Leery Street, Mr. Neighbor.” 

The rest of the kids moved forward too, holding out cards and small trays of various ready to make meals and baked goods. 

The man seemed shocked, before a hint of a smile appeared on his face. He stood slowly, rubbing his right shoulder. Carefully balancing the gifts, he carried them inside, returning with a small basket of apples. He sat down again after putting the apples on the front step. 

“Each of you may take one,” he said quietly, his voice slightly raspy. 

The kids all smiled, thanking him and taking a fruit. The parents watched closely, watching their children with a protective intensity they hadn’t ever done before. The children all sat down with their treat, giggling as some of the younger kids had juice on their chins. 

Julie had chosen to sit on the second step, looking up at the man. “Do you have a name? Mine’s Julie, and that’s Penny, and Ben, and Kyle, and George, and Lily…” She listed everyone's name, pointing out each child. 

“... Shiro…” he said softly. “I’m Shiro.” 

Kyle grinned. “That’s such a cool name! Well, welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Shiro!”

“Shiro…” Mr. Politsky murmured. “Isn’t that the name of the pilot of the Kerberos incident, and part of the group that returned recently?”

“It sounds slightly familiar,” Mr. Casey mumbled back, “The Garrison down in Arizona seemed to try and cover both incidents, so maybe we should just keep quiet about it for now.”

The children stayed a while longer before their mothers and fathers started to call them over, the sky slowly turning from blue to orange, purple, and pink, as the sun was starting to set. Shiro watched them go, nodding to himself as each child found their parents. 

Ben took his mother's hand. “Mama? I think Mr. Shiro is still sad.” 

Mrs. Yates squeezed his hand. “Sometimes people are sad because of what has happened in their life. I’m sure he appreciated you kids going over, nonetheless.”

Shortly after going over to welcome Shiro to the neighborhood, the children would go over often. Sometimes they would play games in his yard, other times they would sit silently and listen as Shiro told stories. People started comparing him to the Fae, never speaking to the adults, but entertaining the children in his own ways. Through June and July, the children grew more attached, their parents slightly more comfortable with sending their children along with their neighbors without them, as long as at least two adults were there. 

The children helped Shiro start a small garden, the older kids mowing the lawn on Mondays, and everyone helping with weeding on Thursdays. They planted flowers and easy vegetables, and soon buds were blooming. The younger children would pick dandelions for their neighbor, and even though they were technically weeds, he would appreciate them the same as if someone gave him roses, or violets. 

The screaming at night hadn’t stopped. No one asked their neighbor about it, because they knew he would not give an answer. Even in the heat of summer, he had his blanket on around his shoulders, right hand clenching the fabric from underneath. It wasn’t until late July when they realized their neighbor wasn’t alone in his home. 

It had been around three in the morning. Mr. Iliono was returning from a call at the fire station, ready to shower and head back to bed. He was about to head inside when he heard his neighbors front screen door open and close, heavy breathing accompanying footsteps. 

“My arm…” Shiro was gasping. 

“Shiro,” a calm voice said. Mr. Iliono’s ears perked. Shiro didn’t live alone?

“My  _ arm,  _ don’t let them take it,  _ please,  _ don’t let them take my other arm!” Shiro was whispering, but his voice was so frantic he might as well have been screaming. “Ulaz, don’t let them!”

“Shiro, you are safe. They cannot touch you, nor will they ever again. I won’t allow it.” The voice- Ulaz, apparently -spoke softly. “You must breathe, Shiro.” 

Mr. Iliono went inside quickly, closing the door quietly as he could so he would not have been heard eavesdropping. The news spread through the street, and everyone wondered who ‘Ulaz’ was. 

“It’s certainly a foreign name,” Mrs. Yates said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone called Ulaz.” 

The children were playing in the yard one Sunday afternoon, July coming to a close with a summer haze in the air. Julie was standing still, having been frozen in their game of freeze tag. Her eyes caught movement in the window, and for a moment her eyes met yellow, before the other quickly ducked away. 

“Mr. Shiro!” she called, breaking away from her spot, “Mr. Shiro, there’s someone inside your house!”

“No way, Julie! You just want to run again!” Ben pouted. 

“It’s true! There’s someone in Mr. Shiro’s house! He looked at me, his eyes are yellow!” Julie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m no cheater!” 

“Mr. Shiro, who’s in your house? Do you have a closet monster?” Lily asked. “I can get you closet monster spray!”

Shiro shook his head. “No, I don’t have a closet monster, but thank you, Lily. He’s more of a cryptid,” he said, with a small smile on his face. 

“Why doesn’t he come out to be with you?” Kyle questioned, peeking around a tree, looking towards the window. “Isn’t it boring to be inside all day?

“He doesn’t like the sun very much,” Shiro said, shrugging. “Ulaz is busy doing other things.” 

“You both have cool names! Is that why you live together?” Penny wondered. 

Shiro chuckled softly. “Sure. He’s good at looking after me.” 

The subject changed after that. When it was time to go, the children waved goodbye. 

“Have a good night, Mr. Shiro!” Julie called, “And your friend Mr. Ulaz too!” 

The kids returned to their homes for dinner, greeting their families. 

“Did you have fun today, Ben? George?” Mrs. Yates asked her sons. 

“Yeah! Did you know Mr. Shiro has a cry… crib…” Ben struggled to remember the word. 

“A cryptid,” George supplied. 

“Yes! A cryptid! Mr. Shiro has a cryptid friend named Ulaz! He’s really tall, and he has yellow eyes! Though, he doesn’t come outside because he doesn’t like the sun…” Ben shrugged and ate his supper. 

With that, the mystery of Ulaz was solved. The adults debated if they should tell someone about him, but decided against it when they realized it was Ulaz who would sooth Shiro’s screams, who would bring him outside to ground himself. 

Sometimes, if they awoke with the screams, they could hear the screen door open and close, soft voice comforting a panicked man. 

“Are the flowers real tonight? Are they really here?”

“As they always are, dear.” 

“And Earth’s moon? It’s still there?” 

“As it has been for millennia.”

Shiro was an odd man. He was quiet, and didn’t talk to any of the adults. He seemed shy and closed-off, scarred by traumas no one dared to or cared to ask about. He was most likely that pilot from the Garrison, but to Leery Street of Grafton, Vermont, he was a soft-spoken man living a quiet life, humoring their children who seemed to adore him. He had an odd friend with pale purple skin, yellow eyes, but a mellow voice, who took care of their neighbor to the best of his ability. He was strange, but no one really cared about that. It didn’t matter who he was, or where he had been. He was their neighbor, and Leery Street took care of their own. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Chapter Two will come soon, which will feature the paladins and others.) 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave kudos or comments if you want!


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